Editing Larry Walker (section)

{{short description|Canadian baseball player (born 1966)}}
{{other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Larry Walker
|image=Larry Walker1.jpg
|caption=Walker with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2005
|position=[[Right fielder]]
|bats=Left
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1966|12|1}}
|birth_place=[[Maple Ridge, British Columbia]], Canada
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=August 16
|debutyear=1989
|debutteam=Montreal Expos
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=October 2
|finalyear=2005
|finalteam=St. Louis Cardinals
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.313
|stat2label=[[Hit (baseball)|Hits]]
|stat2value=2,160
|stat3label=[[Home run]]s
|stat3value=383
|stat4label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat4value=1,311
|teams=
* [[Montreal Expos]] ({{mlby|1989}}–{{mlby|1994}})
* [[Colorado Rockies]] ({{mlby|1995}}–{{mlby|2004}})
* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{mlby|2004}}–{{mlby|2005}})
|highlights=
* 5× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1992 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1992]], [[1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1997]]–[[1999 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1999]], [[2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|2001]])
* [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|NL MVP]] (1997)
* 7× [[Gold Glove Award]] (1992, 1993, 1997–1999, 2001, 2002)
* 3× [[Silver Slugger Award]] (1992, 1997, 1999)
* 3× [[List of Major League Baseball batting champions|NL batting champion]] (1998, 1999, 2001)
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders|NL home run leader]] (1997)
* [[Colorado Rockies#Retired numbers|Colorado Rockies No. 33]] retired
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
|hofdate = [[2020 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|2020]]
|hofvote = 76.6% (tenth ballot)
}}

'''Larry Kenneth Robert Walker''' (born December 1, 1966) is a Canadian former professional [[baseball]] [[right fielder]]. During his 17-year [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) career, he played with the [[Montreal Expos]], [[Colorado Rockies]], and [[St. Louis Cardinals]]. In 1997, he became the only player in major league history to register both a .700 [[slugging percentage]] (SLG) and 30 [[stolen bases]] in the same season, on his way to winning the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL) [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player Award]] (MVP). The first player in more than 60 years to record a [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] of .360 in three consecutive seasons from 1997 to 1999, Walker also won three NL [[List of Major League Baseball batting champions|batting championships]]. He was inducted into [[Canada's Sports Hall of Fame]] in 2007, and the [[Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame]] in the Class of 2009, and was named the 13th-greatest sporting figure from Canada by ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' in 1999. In [[2020 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|2020]], Walker was elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]].

Widely considered a [[Glossary of baseball terms#five-tool player|five-tool player]] of prodigious athleticism and instincts, Walker hit for both average and [[Power hitter|power]], combined with well-above-average [[Base runner|speed]], [[Defense (sports)|defense]] and throwing strength and accuracy. He was recognized as the top Canadian athlete in 1998 with the [[Lou Marsh Trophy]]. Other honors include five [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|MLB All-Star]] selections, seven [[Rawlings Gold Glove Award|Gold Glove Awards]], three [[Silver Slugger Award]]s, and nine [[Tip O'Neill Award]]s. His career SLG of .565 [[List of Major League Baseball career slugging percentage leaders|ranks 12th all time]]. Walker is one of only 19 hitters in history to accomplish a .300 batting average, .400 [[on-base percentage]] (OBP), and .500 SLG with at least 5,000 [[plate appearance]]s, and one of six whose careers began after 1960. Considering advanced [[Sabermetrics|metrics]], he is one of only three players in history to rank within the top 100 of each of batting runs, base-running runs, and [[Defensive Runs Saved|defensive runs saved]]; the others are [[Barry Bonds]] and [[Willie Mays]].

Raised in the Maple Ridge of [[British Columbia]], Walker spent his youth playing [[street hockey]] with consuming [[National Hockey League|NHL]] [[goaltender]] aspirations. That dream never materialized; however, the Expos saw his baseball potential and signed him in 1984. By 1990, Walker became their starting right fielder, propelling them to the majors' best record in 1994 when [[1994–95 Major League Baseball strike|that year's strike]] stopped their first serious [[World Series]] run. He signed with the Rockies as a [[free agent]] following the season, and, during a six-year period starting in 1997, was the major league batting leader three times while finishing second in the NL twice. In 1997, he also led the league in home runs, OBP, and SLG, while joining the [[30–30 club]], registering 12 outfield [[Assist (baseball)|assists]] and leading his position with four [[double play]]s turned; he won the NL MVP Award that year. Desiring a trade to a contending team, Walker was sent by the Rockies to St. Louis in the middle of their 105-win season of 2004 where he made his first [[2004 World Series|World Series]] appearance while tying or setting three Cardinals postseason records. He announced his retirement from playing baseball after Game 6 of the [[2005 National League Championship Series]].

Following his playing career, Walker has served as a guest instructor for the Cardinals, and, since 2009, has [[Coach (baseball)|coached]] the [[Canada national baseball team|Canadian national team]]. In that time, Team Canada has competed in three [[World Baseball Classic]] (WBC) tournaments, and twice at the [[Baseball at the Pan American Games|Pan American Games]], winning consecutive [[gold medal]]s in 2011 and 2015.